Bear Help/Advice

scubasteven25 · May 21, 2011

I set-up a bait site for the first time in my life last weekend. I also set up a game camera. Checked it on Wednesday and nothing had hit the site but a few deer and an elk had wondered through. Checked it today and the site was completely tore up. Hardly any of the bait was left and the logs I placed over the hole were scattered. My camera was also lying on the ground having taken no pictures and the strap was completely gone. I could not pick out any bear tracks from all the traffic. Just a few deer and elk tracks around the area. I didn't notice any human foot prints so I don't think it was sabotaged. There is a lot of human traffic through this area so that is always a concern.

My questions are:
- Would an elk tear into some donuts, marshmallows and various other scraps to include meat?
- Do bears really mess with cameras all that much?
- Will setting the game camera 8 ft+ in the air help?
- Would hunting them on the ground from an elevated ridge be okay?

Any advice is appreciated.

Steven

_rutN_ · May 21, 2011

Scuba,

Excellent on starting baiting for the first time, soon you are gonna be hooked! You have some great questions here, I've encountered all of these myself. Sounds like good chance you have hot bear action on your bait.

Yes, I have had elk on my baits before (licking and eating donuts). Doubtful on them touching the meat and scattering your logs, but you never know. Bears ALWAYS mess with my cameras. They move them out of position, knock them off trees, slobber, bite, it can be a pain & frustrating. Seems younger bears are worse for messing w/ cams. Just have to deal with it (I put two cams on same tree now). Seems to me after a bear has knocked my camera off the tree, the same one won't do it again. I've really wondered if i could rub some nasty pepper powder or something on camera's to keep bears away? Need to research this more myself. If anyone else has advise, please advise.

I might not recommend putting your camera up high in a tree... 1) I've had mine at ~7-8ft before and sometimes bears still mess with them. 2) More importantly, many cameras do not operate/detect as well being high up. Go to your camera manufacture webpage and read all the support documentation for best setup. For example, I've had detection issues being up at 7-8ft w/ all my cameras. I got upset with the performance and then reading manufacturer tips/pointers they say to put low at 3 ft w/ a horizontal detection plane. Something else I have noticed...deer/elk/fox all seem to trigger my camera's better than bears. I guess its because they move quicker. Many bears I watch on my bait move very slow and cautious... often my cameras never detect them at all. I'm still playing around w/ new cameras, If anyone out there has the cam winner please shout out.

Hunting from an elevated ridge is by far my favorite method hands down! I look for an elevated ridge were I have visibility of bears coming in from multiple directions and not from the point I'm sitting on. My current "spot" sits elevated and ~145 yards off the bait.

Feel free to pm me if you have more questions, I'm no expert but would share what I've learned from personal experience and from my buddy who started me out. Been a good year so far, I killed a FAT 5 1/2ft cinnamon blond boar on 5/14 and just last night my buddy a 6ft+ chocolate boar his first bear.

scubasteven25 · May 22, 2011

Thank you for the advice. I'm going to go back up today and re-load with more sweets and see if I can place some heavier logs on it. I just need to figure out a way to get my camera to stay on the tree. Whatever it was that knocked it down also stole the strap. I figure maybe a bungee cord or 2.

Tikka · May 22, 2011

If it is not to big of hasle take a cordless drill and 3" screws and screw the camera to the tree. I like cuddie back cams. with a bear proof case. Bears have tried to mess with cams. but with the bear case and 3" screws they have never knocked them off, hope that helps.

_rutN_ · May 22, 2011

Tikka, what Cuddleback model you recommend? How are the night shots? Night time is where my Moultrie's really lack.

Scuba, good call on adding heavy logs. This year I packed in a chain saw and cut ~10" by 3ft logs to pile on the bait. Works awesome! They stack super nicely keeping the smaller guys (fox/skunks/chipmunks/crows) from stealing. The log pile also creates more work for the bears...them flipping logs around helps trigger cameras and the 3ft logs help me judge bear size.

scubasteven25 · May 22, 2011

Just got back and I think I locked down the camera pretty good today. My bait site was torn up again just from yesterday. All the over-ripe bananas and marshmallows were gone. I hope this means something is coming by consistently. Now just to figure out if it is during daylight hours and if it is a good adult. Thanks for the advice. I might see if I can put some screws in to the camera to secure it a little better.

greatbasin · May 22, 2011

Use clean gloves to check your camera and try to keep from stepping in the bait and tracking around your camera If there is little or no food scent on or around your camera, they'll leave it pretty much alone. Good luck.

scubasteven25 · May 22, 2011

Thanks for the tip. I'll sanitize it on Tuesday when I go to check it next and hopefully the bears have not messed with it.

Tikka · May 23, 2011

>Tikka, what Cuddleback model you recommend?
> How are the night
>shots? Night time is
>where my Moultrie's really lack.
>
>
>Scuba, good call on adding heavy
>logs. This year I
>packed in a chain saw
>and cut ~10" by 3ft
>logs to pile on the
>bait. Works awesome!
>They stack super nicely keeping
>the smaller guys (fox/skunks/chipmunks/crows) from
>stealing. The log pile
>also creates more work for
>the bears...them flipping logs around
>helps trigger cameras and the
>3ft logs help me judge
>bear size.

Any of the Cuddieback camera's are good.I don't remember what model mine are but they are about 5+ years old, night time pics. are good out to about 20 yds. after that it is just glowing eye's

Tikka · May 23, 2011

LAST EDITED ON May-23-11 AT 11:29AM (MST)[p]Here are a couple of pics. that I have on my work computer.

The quakies in the back ground are about 35yds. away so I lied about the 20yds. is just glowing eyes

scubasteven25 · May 24, 2011

And now some pictures of the bear that is hitting my bait. Re-baited today and found these photos from the past 2 days. Any idea if it is a good size bear? I included a picture of myself and my kids for reference.

ID_hunter27 · May 24, 2011

Looks a lil small and rubbed out. Ear size to head is generally the way most people tell and those ears look pretty big for its head

Tikka · May 25, 2011

>Looks a lil small and rubbed
>out. Ear size to head
>is generally the way most
>people tell and those ears
>look pretty big for its
>head

+1

huntfish714 · May 25, 2011

first off KEEP TRACK OF THAT BUCK lol with three months left he's gunma be a dandy in my opinion. predators on camera are fun good ribs. bear does look like a kicker cub but definitely fair game. i use anise oil religiously every animal loves it especially bears. for bait and camera put the oil on the far side of the bait to keep the attention away from the camera. also every time you rebait use one bottle of oil then when your hunting use two bottles. and that's how you train a bear to come in when you want him to.

also Alot of times the more dominant bear will mark a tree directly around the bait with his claws just like for when they mark water hole dominance. try looking at the trees bout eight to ten feet off the ground for a start. hope this helps and good luck! let us know.

scubasteven25 · May 26, 2011

That was someone else who had the buck picture. Thanks for the advice on using oil. I have been using pancake syrup all over the bait. I never dreamed over-ripe bananas and dog food would bring in bears.

matt4695 · May 27, 2011

Awesome pics,, Nice color phase

huntfish714 · May 27, 2011

ah sorry bout the buck pic the format on my phone doesn't always agree with the website. lol if you bait your site before the day you hunt it to minimize disturbance while hunting id imagine taking a bottle or two of syrup with you and using it the same way since sounds like you've gotem trained on it already

scubasteven25 · Jun 2, 2011

More pics off my game cameras. Looks like I have a couple of bigger bears coming in. What do you all think of the first one as far as size? Looks to me like he would be a mature one. We're going to try and go after them this weekend.

_rutN_ · Jun 2, 2011

First one (black one) is bigger than the others for sure and has a nicer looking coat IMO. I don't think it is a mature boar, looks like a sow to me, but I can't tell for sure from my phone and 1 pic. Do you have any more pics of the black one? The others are quite small skinny guys, lab size. What do you want out of a bear? Would it be your first? Try to watch them in person to better judge. Depending on what you want (coat), it could be a shooter. My guess is 4.5-5ft for the black one.

Thanks for sharing your pictures! Fun isn't it? I'll try to post some from my camera's later for you to compare against. Unless it's a monster toad boar or a skinny cub, bears can be really hard to judge in the field/pics, each angle/camera shot can change its relative size appearance. Good luck and thanks for sharing!

flea_bitten · Jun 2, 2011

neither of them are shooters, just enjoy watching them....

scubasteven25 · Jun 2, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Jun-02-11 AT 09:25PM (MST)[p]These are the only other pictures I have of it before they dismantled my camera set-up again.

I am enjoying seeing the animals and am ecstatic to have bears coming to my bait. I never thought I could get some success on my first try out so close to home. I have never shot a bear before and neither has my wife. I have minimal knowledge of how big a bear should be and not having a barrel to feed out of makes it difficult to judge them.

_rutN_ · Jun 2, 2011

Here are a few pics from my bait cameras

Bait stealer!

Boo!

2nd fav pic of the year - shot this FAT cinnamon boar on 5/14

Camera eater

Favorite pic this year - gorgeous cinnamon, I got to watch him come in last Saturday night and circle my bait a few times before catching wind. Awesome watching this beauty!

huntfish714 · Jun 6, 2011

Great pics everyone! Thanks for sharing! Scuba-in my honest opinion if your getting all of these 5footers coming in consistantly I think if there was a more dominant one in the area he probably would have shown himself by now. That being said I personally would take down that nice black coat and a cinnamon nd tan um up and make a nice Ottoman and dresser decor. The finished product looks nice and high class rustic feel. The only thing missing by shooting a younger bear is less hide. Skulls still look nice claws are sharper and less damaged but not quite big enough for a rug or blanket. I hope this helps the decision making process and remember big or small you always remember your first and the ones you share it with. Good luck!

scubasteven25 · Jun 6, 2011

I let my wife shoot the one she wanted. Best of all my kids were there to experience it all as the bear came within 20 yards. It's not big but she squared out at 4'5" and weighed in at 75 lbs field dressed. Beautiful coat with cinnamon, blond, black, and brown all in one. It's the first bear ever for either of us so I am considering it a successful season. I haven't decided if I want to go back and try for the bigger black one. I probably won't as he/she is not a consistent visitor. Thanks to everyone for the advice, opinions and encouragement. I am really looking forward to going after them again next year and hopefully get a good sized one for myself. Now its whistle-pig and elk/deer scouting time.